Pre-Student Teaching (EDUC 362: Teaching Experience I) serves as the initial field experience for prospective student teachers and is completed the semester prior to student teaching.
Hello everyone! My what a week, I have been rolling with the ball all week long. My classroom has been a busy haven for learning. I have reviewed with the class about the "Wild Horses" selection and worked on vocabulary words for the first half of each day. The students have gain so much knowledge and are excited about doing more with the lesson. There attention span has been great! We even had Frances come in a pay us a visit. They were happy that they were able to be a part of my learning. After she left, the students came up to me and asked, " What do think? Do you think we were able to get you the "A"?" A great bunch of kiddos. There is still so much more to learn according to what I have experienced in the classroom. Time is limited, resources are not always available at the given time, pull-outs are great for the student but some days it gets your head a spinning. There are also SPED students that require attention but for the most part, the students are understanding and are willing to help then they are needing attention. I hope everyone else is rolling right along as well.
SO this week has definitely been a learning experience. I had to regroup and get my students back on the same page. This really went well and they all understood how important their jobs were and that their whole group was depending on them. Frances came in on this day and I felt very good about her observation. She had great feedback and really made me think that I was doing a great job. As the week went on however I got sick and almost lost my voice!! Since I am reading a book I had to let the students read which put us behind schedule. Oh well though on Friday I got us caught up. Frances came in on Thursday (One of my sickest days) and it did not go well :( I was not having the students go beyond retelling of the story in their literature circles also she said I was telling them what I wanted to hear. At first I was upset about this but then started thinking she was right. So that day I talked to my discussion directors and told them to look out side the book to find questions and on Friday the discussion went very well. I really am learning so much and am excited to finish up over the next two days and ending with some fun projects!!!
Phyllis, I love that you are doing a wild horse project how fun!!!
Everyone else that had recycled stuff for me I will take whatever you have from boxes to cotton balls. We will start the ecosystem projects after break!!! So let me know what you have!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Lets see where to start. I finished my twelve day lesson. Tuesday my students presented their chautauqua characters this was amazing. I had some students that i was worried about do well while one group i thought had it stumbled. Overall i was so proud. Francis came in and also got to enjoy my kids. They love her too. When my students were finished and received their rubrics I was presented with a "Your going to be a great teacher" card and a party. Those of you who get to stay in the same classrooms are blessed. I feel blessed for having such a great opportunity.
Sadness for you Jena but you just experienced a real life situation that a teacher would have to go through if she were to get sick. There has to modifications made and it sounds like you did a wonderful job catching up. I know the feeling of modifying a lesson. I had to move some of my activities to different days and do a read aloud not when I had planned so I understand "Life is not perfect for Teachers." Heather your lesson sounds great and am sure you are going to leave behind a message for your students. Congrats on completing your lesson Whew!
Heather, where are you when I need you? My volcanic eruption underwater failed, although on land it was awesome… any ideas? Anyways, another awesome week. I was privileged to sit in on a SAT meeting and was actually written into an IEP to work individually with a very special 4th grader ELL whose comprehension is up to grade level but his reading level is below the second grade. There is also a question of effort and his maturity level and social skills are sub standard. Our new book – Call It Courage, is off to a great start. It was brought into question though that I seem to pick books where the children are facing death, insurmountable odds, one or both of the parents die, and the children are the heroes – very perceptive. Their depth of comprehension is remarkable. They have really taken on our mantra of; “Givin’ It Up”. They have completed their first set of roles and have selected their roles for the next round. The range of writing skills is slowing down the completion of the book, but the writing process is making great gains. Our tornado research and demonstration was a success, and actually was able to present to two classes. We will complete the book the week after Thanksgiving and then I think we will do Esperanza Rising – I know, I know… the father is murdered, the mother is deathly ill, and I think you could say Esperanza is the hero!
This week is going to be a busy one. I will continue my 10 day unit on space. I am looking forward to seeing my students completed work. Friday I introduced the unit to my students through a KWL. We finished the K and the W and will complete the L nearing the end of the unit. I had previously set up my Science Learning Center on the Solar System, to spike their interest. After completing the K and the W we read a few books on the solar system and talked about what we would be doing. Starting Monday we will be doing 4 centers. Writing: Each student will be creating their book of the Solar System. They will write a fact about each planet and draw a picture of each. They will read their book to two friends. Math: Each student will complete 20 addition problems, and 20 subtraction problems. Next they will write in planets in the correct order. (They are working on order, 1st 2nd …) Finally they will create an alien using pattern blocks. Art: Each student will create an astronaut. Supplies: Paper plates, black construction paper, googly eyes, white crayons, and glue. Spelling: Each student will have 3 bonus words on their spelling test. (Gas, Rotation, Gravity) They will write each word twice, and stamp each word, and finally write a sentence using each word. They will also be doing this with their other spelling words. Each afternoon my students will be working on a post card to send to their parents from their favorite planets. I am using a four square to get them stated. To end our unit we will complete the L of the KWL, read their post card to the class, and finally take a quiz using the clickers to assess their learning.
On Tuesday November 15 I went to Farmington High School to observe in the English Department. I ended up observing Jeffrey Dalton, Stephanie Jacquez, and Linda McNeal. I learned something from all of them. Dalton and Jacquez both use participation points at the beginning of each week that are taken away for bad behavior, etc. I would like to implement this into my classroom. Jacquez gave me a ton of info on technology to use in the classroom. They use Pearson online to do reading and answer questions, take quizzes, etc. I am going to see if it is possible for me to register with Pearson as an individual instead of as a school. She also gave me ideas on my Daily Warm Ups and how to get students started more quickly when they come into class. McNeal had a more strict classroom environment but I really enjoyed sitting in on her 12th grade class. She has a good relationship with them. They did a fun activity where they paired off and used handouts to give each other comments or put downs how Shakespeare would do it. They seemed to really enjoy the activity. I ate lunch with a group of teachers and go to hear about administration changes, holiday plans, etc. It was a really good day of observations and I got a lot of good ideas from my time there.
Wow. A powerful learning experience for the last week of my pre-teaching. I thought I had planned very well for the math lessons. I even included some BODY MATH! We practiced the patterns of multiplication with a "head, shoulders, waist, knees, toes" activity (twice), as in 2's (2-4-6-8-10, 12-14-16-18-20), then 3's, all the way up to 6's. The kids really liked this and wanted to go fast! Even my two LD boys got into it. I think this could be a great way to learn all kinds of patterns and give the kids some physical exercise in the process! With every lesson this week there was learning for me. I wanted so badly for the students to understand the concepts of multiplication and division better. We made an array of 12 students (3x4,4x3,2x6, etc.) pretending we were in a marching band for the Macy's T-day parade. We divided up coins: I thought it was a cool idea to bring some different "special" coins I had, but I learned that it is less confusing to use all the same kind. That was one of my big take-aways: Trust the teacher's edition! They really have some good ideas. For the next lesson I read "The Doorbell Rang" and we divided cookies. Everything went really well until I modeled two of the problems for their assignment. I did mine correctly, but had not worked the others at all, just assuming they would all work the way the first ones did, but NO! Gina stepped in and clarified things for the students (thank goodness!) and I learned a powerful lesson - Always work ALL of the problems you expect the students to do BEFORE the lesson so you are prepared to help them as needed. DUH!!!! I was so embarrassed, but Gina and then Frances helped me to feel better. On Friday, we did a quick review of the concept so the students really did understand it better. I think I learned more than they did on that one! The students are so sweet- I think they understand that I am learning too. I am glad that I finished all my lessons before T-day so I could really relax. Phyllis - sounds like your students really liked you and want you to do well -sneaky way to get THEM motivated too! Jena - know so many teachers who have vocal issues... comes with the territory. Sorry you got sick, but sounds like you pulled things out really well, that's what good teachers do! Heather-you've had a great experience at Mosaic, I can tell. Doing a Chattauqua project was a perfect fit. Junior -don't be too hard on yourself, real life ain't all pretty either! I like your choice of books;"Call it Courage" was one of my favorites (still have the original copy I ordered from Weekly Reader for 50 cents!). Emily -Were you just born this way? So organized and always ahead of the game? I really admire that, and have learned a lot from you. You already seem like such a teacher! Alyse -Really appreciated your observation ideas. I have always liked the idea of giving students points (or whatever) up front, so they are responsible for keeping them. Then when you have to take them away, it really bites.
So here we go on the home stretch! I will be observing in my class for a whole day each of the next three weeks, just to maintain contact with the students and Gina.
This is the week I started my 10-day Unit!! WOOHHOOO!!! Loved it!!! We started of by introducing Laura Numeroff & talking about what an author study is. I read aloud the book "Jellybeans & the Big Dance" made paper jellybeans and sorted and graphed actual jellybeans. Frances snuck in for the last part & I didn't even notice she was there for a couple of minutes, I was so absorbed in my kiddos! haha... the kids got to eat jellybeans after the math extension & loved them! Did ya'll know Laura Numeroff didn't just write the "If You Give" series? I didn't until I started planning this project! Great books!! This week we also read a story about living with your monster & wrote recipes for making monster chow (they got to eat "Monster Chow" for snack, which is cocoa puffs)and a story about friendship and being kind to one another, for this one we made friendship bracelets. Frances was there again and got a kick out of helping the kids work on their bracelets, they enjoyed her as well! My unit will be broken up next week by Thanksgiving but that's ok, I will be using Mr. Numeroff's books about family to tie into the holiday and they will write acrostic poems about family and make & decorate a placemat to take home. Great week!! I just can't get over how much I love doing this & love being with these kids!!!
Hello everyone! My what a week, I have been rolling with the ball all week long. My classroom has been a busy haven for learning. I have reviewed with the class about the "Wild Horses" selection and worked on vocabulary words for the first half of each day. The students have gain so much knowledge and are excited about doing more with the lesson. There attention span has been great! We even had Frances come in a pay us a visit. They were happy that they were able to be a part of my learning. After she left, the students came up to me and asked, " What do think? Do you think we were able to get you the "A"?" A great bunch of kiddos. There is still so much more to learn according to what I have experienced in the classroom. Time is limited, resources are not always available at the given time, pull-outs are great for the student but some days it gets your head a spinning. There are also SPED students that require attention but for the most part, the students are understanding and are willing to help then they are needing attention. I hope everyone else is rolling right along as well.
ReplyDeleteSO this week has definitely been a learning experience. I had to regroup and get my students back on the same page. This really went well and they all understood how important their jobs were and that their whole group was depending on them. Frances came in on this day and I felt very good about her observation. She had great feedback and really made me think that I was doing a great job. As the week went on however I got sick and almost lost my voice!! Since I am reading a book I had to let the students read which put us behind schedule. Oh well though on Friday I got us caught up. Frances came in on Thursday (One of my sickest days) and it did not go well :( I was not having the students go beyond retelling of the story in their literature circles also she said I was telling them what I wanted to hear. At first I was upset about this but then started thinking she was right. So that day I talked to my discussion directors and told them to look out side the book to find questions and on Friday the discussion went very well. I really am learning so much and am excited to finish up over the next two days and ending with some fun projects!!!
ReplyDeletePhyllis, I love that you are doing a wild horse project how fun!!!
Everyone else that had recycled stuff for me I will take whatever you have from boxes to cotton balls. We will start the ecosystem projects after break!!! So let me know what you have!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Lets see where to start. I finished my twelve day lesson. Tuesday my students presented their chautauqua characters this was amazing. I had some students that i was worried about do well while one group i thought had it stumbled. Overall i was so proud. Francis came in and also got to enjoy my kids. They love her too. When my students were finished and received their rubrics I was presented with a "Your going to be a great teacher" card and a party. Those of you who get to stay in the same classrooms are blessed. I feel blessed for having such a great opportunity.
ReplyDeleteSadness for you Jena but you just experienced a real life situation that a teacher would have to go through if she were to get sick. There has to modifications made and it sounds like you did a wonderful job catching up. I know the feeling of modifying a lesson. I had to move some of my activities to different days and do a read aloud not when I had planned so I understand "Life is not perfect for Teachers." Heather your lesson sounds great and am sure you are going to leave behind a message for your students. Congrats on completing your lesson Whew!
ReplyDeleteHeather, where are you when I need you? My volcanic eruption underwater failed, although on land it was awesome… any ideas? Anyways, another awesome week. I was privileged to sit in on a SAT meeting and was actually written into an IEP to work individually with a very special 4th grader ELL whose comprehension is up to grade level but his reading level is below the second grade. There is also a question of effort and his maturity level and social skills are sub standard. Our new book – Call It Courage, is off to a great start. It was brought into question though that I seem to pick books where the children are facing death, insurmountable odds, one or both of the parents die, and the children are the heroes – very perceptive. Their depth of comprehension is remarkable. They have really taken on our mantra of; “Givin’ It Up”. They have completed their first set of roles and have selected their roles for the next round. The range of writing skills is slowing down the completion of the book, but the writing process is making great gains. Our tornado research and demonstration was a success, and actually was able to present to two classes. We will complete the book the week after Thanksgiving and then I think we will do Esperanza Rising – I know, I know… the father is murdered, the mother is deathly ill, and I think you could say Esperanza is the hero!
ReplyDeleteThis week is going to be a busy one. I will continue my 10 day unit on space. I am looking forward to seeing my students completed work. Friday I introduced the unit to my students through a KWL. We finished the K and the W and will complete the L nearing the end of the unit. I had previously set up my Science Learning Center on the Solar System, to spike their interest. After completing the K and the W we read a few books on the solar system and talked about what we would be doing. Starting Monday we will be doing 4 centers.
ReplyDeleteWriting: Each student will be creating their book of the Solar System. They will write a fact about each planet and draw a picture of each. They will read their book to two friends.
Math: Each student will complete 20 addition problems, and 20 subtraction problems. Next they will write in planets in the correct order. (They are working on order, 1st 2nd …) Finally they will create an alien using pattern blocks.
Art: Each student will create an astronaut. Supplies: Paper plates, black construction paper, googly eyes, white crayons, and glue.
Spelling: Each student will have 3 bonus words on their spelling test. (Gas, Rotation, Gravity) They will write each word twice, and stamp each word, and finally write a sentence using each word. They will also be doing this with their other spelling words.
Each afternoon my students will be working on a post card to send to their parents from their favorite planets. I am using a four square to get them stated.
To end our unit we will complete the L of the KWL, read their post card to the class, and finally take a quiz using the clickers to assess their learning.
Emily
On Tuesday November 15 I went to Farmington High School to observe in the English Department. I ended up observing Jeffrey Dalton, Stephanie Jacquez, and Linda McNeal. I learned something from all of them. Dalton and Jacquez both use participation points at the beginning of each week that are taken away for bad behavior, etc. I would like to implement this into my classroom. Jacquez gave me a ton of info on technology to use in the classroom. They use Pearson online to do reading and answer questions, take quizzes, etc. I am going to see if it is possible for me to register with Pearson as an individual instead of as a school. She also gave me ideas on my Daily Warm Ups and how to get students started more quickly when they come into class. McNeal had a more strict classroom environment but I really enjoyed sitting in on her 12th grade class. She has a good relationship with them. They did a fun activity where they paired off and used handouts to give each other comments or put downs how Shakespeare would do it. They seemed to really enjoy the activity. I ate lunch with a group of teachers and go to hear about administration changes, holiday plans, etc. It was a really good day of observations and I got a lot of good ideas from my time there.
ReplyDeleteWow. A powerful learning experience for the last week of my pre-teaching. I thought I had planned very well for the math lessons. I even included some BODY MATH! We practiced the patterns of multiplication with a "head, shoulders, waist, knees, toes" activity (twice), as in 2's (2-4-6-8-10, 12-14-16-18-20), then 3's, all the way up to 6's. The kids really liked this and wanted to go fast! Even my two LD boys got into it. I think this could be a great way to learn all kinds of patterns and give the kids some physical exercise in the process!
ReplyDeleteWith every lesson this week there was learning for me. I wanted so badly for the students to understand the concepts of multiplication and division better. We made an array of 12 students (3x4,4x3,2x6, etc.) pretending we were in a marching band for the Macy's T-day parade. We divided up coins: I thought it was a cool idea to bring some different "special" coins I had, but I learned that it is less confusing to use all the same kind. That was one of my big take-aways: Trust the teacher's edition! They really have some good ideas. For the next lesson I read "The Doorbell Rang" and we divided cookies. Everything went really well until I modeled two of the problems for their assignment. I did mine correctly, but had not worked the others at all, just assuming they would all work the way the first ones did, but NO! Gina stepped in and clarified things for the students (thank goodness!) and I learned a powerful lesson - Always work ALL of the problems you expect the students to do BEFORE the lesson so you are prepared to help them as needed. DUH!!!! I was so embarrassed, but Gina and then Frances helped me to feel better. On Friday, we did a quick review of the concept so the students really did understand it better. I think I learned more than they did on that one! The students are so sweet- I think they understand that I am learning too. I am glad that I finished all my lessons before T-day so I could really relax.
Phyllis - sounds like your students really liked you and want you to do well -sneaky way to get THEM motivated too!
Jena - know so many teachers who have vocal issues... comes with the territory. Sorry you got sick, but sounds like you pulled things out really well, that's what good teachers do!
Heather-you've had a great experience at Mosaic, I can tell. Doing a Chattauqua project was a perfect fit.
Junior -don't be too hard on yourself, real life ain't all pretty either! I like your choice of books;"Call it Courage" was one of my favorites (still have the original copy I ordered from Weekly Reader for 50 cents!).
Emily -Were you just born this way? So organized and always ahead of the game? I really admire that, and have learned a lot from you. You already seem like such a teacher!
Alyse -Really appreciated your observation ideas. I have always liked the idea of giving students points (or whatever) up front, so they are responsible for keeping them. Then when you have to take them away, it really bites.
So here we go on the home stretch! I will be observing in my class for a whole day each of the next three weeks, just to maintain contact with the students and Gina.
This is the week I started my 10-day Unit!! WOOHHOOO!!! Loved it!!!
ReplyDeleteWe started of by introducing Laura Numeroff & talking about what an author study is. I read aloud the book "Jellybeans & the Big Dance" made paper jellybeans and sorted and graphed actual jellybeans. Frances snuck in for the last part & I didn't even notice she was there for a couple of minutes, I was so absorbed in my kiddos! haha... the kids got to eat jellybeans after the math extension & loved them! Did ya'll know Laura Numeroff didn't just write the "If You Give" series? I didn't until I started planning this project! Great books!! This week we also read a story about living with your monster & wrote recipes for making monster chow (they got to eat "Monster Chow" for snack, which is cocoa puffs)and a story about friendship and being kind to one another, for this one we made friendship bracelets. Frances was there again and got a kick out of helping the kids work on their bracelets, they enjoyed her as well! My unit will be broken up next week by Thanksgiving but that's ok, I will be using Mr. Numeroff's books about family to tie into the holiday and they will write acrostic poems about family and make & decorate a placemat to take home.
Great week!! I just can't get over how much I love doing this & love being with these kids!!!